We have updated our Terms & Conditions. To continue, please confirm that you have read and accept these:

You have to agree to pocketmags.com's Terms & Conditions to proceed

This website use cookies and similar technologies to improve the site and to provide customised content and advertising. By using this site, you agree to this use. To learn more, including how to change your cookie settings, please view our Cookie Policy

Hare-raising tales of intriguing species

HARES, which have long fascinated and delighted all those lucky enough to see them, are not as common in Argyll as they used to be.

The sight of them leaping in the air and looking for all the world like champion boxers in a ring, is one of the most intriguing signs of spring.

‘Mad as a March hare’ is an expression that has been in use for centuries. Hares are an extremely ancient species. Fossil records show their ancestors were around at the time of the dinosaurs but, from the late 19th century, their numbers began to decrease by as much as 80 per cent. For example, on the Kintyre peninsula during the early 1930s, daily bags of 1,000 were the rule rather than the exception until the hard winter of 1945 accounted for many deaths from which they never fully recovered.